In a dimly lit room, a man was seen reading from his computer screen, his thick glasses reflecting the light. Despite appearing to be a real person, his actual identity remains unverified. There is no record of Mohamed al-Alawi producing any previous articles or videos, as expected of a journalist. According to Active Fence, an internet security company, this individual has no educational or work history, and lacks any online social connections.
The video presented what seemed to be photos of a purchase contract and a villa, aiming to convince gullible viewers of its authenticity. However, the property is actually part of a resort owned by Orascom Development, with El Gouna boasting “year-round sunshine, shimmering lagoons, sandy beaches and azure waters” on its website.
Two days later, an article about the video’s claim appeared as a paid advertisement on Punch, a Nigerian news outlet, along with three other websites that aggregate news and entertainment content.
The article was credited to Arthur Nkono, who has no other known articles to his name. It included quotes from a supposed political scientist, Abdrulrahman Alabassy, who also seems to be a fictional character associated with corrupt use of Western financial aid in Ukraine. (Punch later removed the post without comment.)
The following day, the claim surfaced on X in a post by Sonja van den Ende, an activist from the Netherlands whose articles have been linked to Russian propaganda outlets. She was also an election observer in an occupied Ukrainian territory during Russian parliamentary elections in September.
